Beef: It's What's for Dinner Tonight

There is room for red meat in a healthy lifestyle. The key is choosing lean cuts, sensible portions and healthful cooking methods.

Serve this flank steak with steamed green beans and some whole-grain bread warmed on the grill. The heat of the meat warms the accompanying fragrant and herb-infused sauce. Use the bread to sop up every last drop of juice.

Flank steak is a lean, affordable and flavorful cut of beef, but it's often tough. We marinated our flank steak and cut it against the grain to keep it as tender as it is tasty!

With a slice of whole-grain bread, a cup of green beans and a cup of skim milk, this meal has 420 calories and 15 g fat. Add 98 calories if you're using Chef Meg's Garlic-Citrus Parsley Sauce. (I like to serve a teaspoon or so of the sauce over steamed vegetables.)

Grill, turning once until desired temperature is reached. For this large cut of meat, I recommend cooking to medium rare (135 degrees) and allowing the meat to rest for 5 minutes once taken off the grill to allow juices to redistribute. Once removed from the grill, the meat will continue to cook slightly, raising the temperature to medium (140 degrees).

Serving size is three ounces of beef; makes six servings.

NOTE:
The nutrition info is calculated for half the marinade as the other half is discarded.

The leftovers are great on a sandwich hot or cold.

How often do you eat red meat? Which lean cuts do you prefer?

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Comments

FOXGLOVE999

113

My favorite lean beef cuts are top round and tenderloin. Top round is very lean, and the cheapest cut I can find, usually cheaper than ground. I use it for steaks, marinated of course, and braises. I love tenderloin, but it is expensive.
- 9/16/2014 9:38:19 AM

The reason I started SP was because I had just been on a very strict vegan diet for three months and PUT ON 12 POUNDS and was the heaviest I have ever been in my life. I decided I'd had enough of eating and feeling different to everyone else. Now I eat all foods - including beef in moderation and the weight is dropping off me - 18 pounds so far in 13 weeks - I promise myself I will never again eat 'fad' foods - good nutrition is following a sensible diet like SP!!!
- 11/14/2012 10:57:00 PM

I don't eat as much beef as my husband and son do, but I like a good steak! Just happened to pick up a whole flank steak on manager's special today and will make this later in the week. Thanks for such a good idea!
- 10/31/2012 8:30:48 PM

I eat red meat just a few times a year now, but I don't YET care for the lean cuts. The flavor is in the marbled meats or barbecued ribs. So I'll be watching for healthier ways to prepare those as right now, those are just splurge days.
- 2/21/2012 8:17:39 PM

I love the taste of beef, too. But I love my planet more. The difference in the water used to produce one pound of beef vs. one pound of chicken is astonishing (not to mention the difference in the amount of pollution generated). Check out this website, if you are curious about how much water your food requires to produce: www.waterfootprint.org/?page=files/productgallery I have significantly reduced my beef consumption, because what's the point of "eating well", if there is no water to drink or clean air to breathe? Just some food for thought.
- 8/23/2011 1:11:54 PM

Love a good rare steak. Why do many vegans and vegetarians eat so much "mock meat"? What is the point of not eating meat if vegetables/beans/grains are shaped and colored to look like meat? I don't get it. I read Skinny Bitch and found the tone of the book offensive.
- 12/1/2010 3:52:22 PM

We eat beef 2 or 3 times a week, usually ground beef or stew meat, not steaks. I don't worry where the cows eat or drink, whether they went to college or something, doesn't change a thing in the long run. Also eat alot of fish and poultry, little bit of pork due to the cost more than anything else. - 11/11/2010 10:22:27 PM

I definitely think beef has a place in a healthy diet. People get so militant with vegetarianism it can be difficult to just get some truth out there. I tried being vegetarian, but felt like I was missing nutrition because I do not like plant sources of protein (tofu, beans, etc) and I don't like supplements. That said, I do not eat beef as often as before. I mostly eat chicken and fish. Fish is soooo expensive though, I just can't justify the price too often. Beef is such a great source of protein and iron and its super filling. Just don't slather it in sauce or double fry it. I probably have it 2-4x per month.
- 11/2/2010 11:30:29 AM

I love to hear that so many people are eating grass-fed, organic, and otherwise naturally-raised beef. I stopped eating red meat in college when I went vegetarian but now that I'm a flexitarian/locavore I'd love to support the people who are raising cattle right.
- 10/19/2010 1:40:10 PM

Nope! No red meat for me. Haven't touched it since I was two, forty years ago. Couldn't digest it so my mum never gave it to me. She even tried to disguise it but I always got bad stomach aches. So now I've just never eaten it at all. Don't miss what you never eat plus in my line of work, I found out that the human body can carry around undigested meat for years in the intestine/colon area. That alone puts me off of ever trying it. I will eat a little chicken but that's it for me.
- 7/9/2010 1:46:22 PM

Glad to see beef being served up!! As a rancher producing safe, natural beef I am always happy to promote the nutritional value of beef. There is so much misconception out there about beef so glad to see this recipe. A great website for you to view is www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com - 6/23/2010 11:03:52 AM

We eat it 2-3x a week but I buy from a local farm and they use no harmones, etc. with their beef. It is very lean and no more expensive than what you buy in the stores. Our mainstay though is chicken/turkey.
- 6/16/2010 10:38:59 AM

I am a more of a chicken kind of gal and for that reason do not eat a whole lot of red meat. In most cases I use and eat more hamburger in my dishes. I do like the occasional steak unfortunately I like the rib eyes and ribs more which does not go well with my diet.
- 2/2/2010 9:38:12 AM

We eat red meat probably once every other week, not because we are adverse to it or health conscious but it is so much more expensive that other meats. When we do eat red meat it is usually deer or elk and has had all the fat cut off of it as I hate game fat so it is very lean. I marinate it to keep it moist and juicy.
- 1/27/2010 6:47:21 PM

Thanks for sharing a beef recipe. Chicken and other fowl are so promoted over beef, and beef is a nutritious food. We have lean beef 2 or three times a week. We also eat lean pork, but never chicken, turkey, or other feathered critters.
- 1/27/2010 6:25:59 PM

I am not affilliated with this site in any way, shape, or form (other than just being a happy customer), but www.GrassLandBeef.com offers $7 flat-rate overnight Fed Ex shipping, and is less than half the price of grass-fed beef at Whole Foods (which is jokingly referred to by staff at my local Trader Joe's as 'Whole Paycheck') (lol)

The best part is, they sell organic grass-fed bison in addition to poultry, pork and even sustainable shrimp.
- 1/27/2010 8:13:16 AM

I absolutely love red meat, but I am trying to cut down some. I have gotten down to about once a week now, and since I am limiting my intake, it's usually a nice steak! I'm cutting down more for the cholesterol than the calories, though.
- 1/26/2010 6:34:27 PM

I eat beef around once a month. I love beef heart. I cook it in the oven. I smother it in barbeque sause. I am not much of a beef eater. I eat lots of chicken, turkey, pork and fish.
- 1/26/2010 8:39:50 AM

Eat more red meat than I should. I try to make chicken or fish at least 3 nights a week but the husband loves his meat. He is a real "meat and potatoe guy". No wonder I gained weight after I married him, he is also a junk food junky.
- 1/25/2010 12:19:28 AM

When I was a kid beef was grass/range fed and tasted differently. Today the cattle are grain fed in lots and hardly get any exercise. What cattle eat does make a difference. I would be more prone to eat beef if it tasted better.
- 1/24/2010 4:32:28 PM

This looks and sounds delicious! We'll be trying this on Wednesday night, and I'll rate the recipe then. My husband also has a recipe for flank steak tacos with a homemade, grilled-tomato salsa that is OUT of this world!!!
- 1/24/2010 4:32:14 PM

"Moderation is key in all things." Thanks, TeacherMomFive. That really is the point here for me. I used to be a vegetarian and now, I am quite happy adding meat to my diet on an infrequent basis. I was more overweight when I was not eating animal protein than I am now that I am enjoying limited yummy recipes like this.
- 1/23/2010 3:00:44 PM

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